Letter to the Editor;
Fellow freedom fighters, birders and friends of Brutus the Swan.
In the past few months we have had several inquiries about the well being of Brutus the Swan. Unfortunately, Brutus died earlier this summer. He passed on while at his orneriest best – he flew at great speed toward the tractor that was encroaching too close to his pond, hitting the rear wheel and dying instantly. It all happened too fast to be avoided…I was very saddened at losing my friend.
Although he was a cantankerous old fellow we still miss his presence. It is not very often that a wild swan befriends a human and display that level of trust. We are very saddened to have lost our friend. However, it is a bit of relief to not have to keep an eye on him all the time when customers visited our trout farm. We would warn them about Brutus, saying please stay close to the house or to us, but many would just wander off and we would find them either cornered somewhere or on the back of our pick up, frightened and yelling at Brutus. Go Away Go Away You Brute! They would show us where Brutus had winged them. We would reply, told you – Beware.
We would explain to our visitors – beware of the Swan, he’s the Queens bird, he is not ours, or a dog and does not listen to commands. Brutus is a wild bird! It’s unfortunate that our Queen did not respond to my request of an emancipation proclamation, exempting Brutus from his requirement to supposedly have to migrate annually, that would have cost avoided this entire legal extravaganza. Also, had her Majesty permitted Brutus to have a mate, without government licensing encumbrances, he might have had a calmer demeanour and been a little more easy going. Influenced by a good female would have helped calm his aggressive and challenging ways.
All in all, we are sure Brutus had a fine life here with us, indicated by his desire to stay on the farm. We hope that he felt as fondly about us as we felt about him. We will miss our friend. Perhaps another Brutus will land on our ponds someday, we can only hope or ask for such a miracle.
To all that have participated and assisted in this Canadian saga, thank you all for your interest and contributions. Without everyone’s assistance, Brutus would have been just an ordinary Swan, not the symbol of Canadian independence and jurisprudence that he became.
Sad but Stoic
Lou Maieron B.Sc. Silver Creek Aquaculture
